LIFESPAN - 15
to 25 years
AVERAGE HEIGHT - 36 inches at the shoulders
AVERAGE WEIGHT - 100 to 175 pounds (1/2 to 1/3 llama size)
AVERAGE GESTATION - 335 days
BIRTH WEIGHT - usually 15 to 19 pounds
COLOR - Alpacas come in 22 basic colors with many variations
About Alpaca Fleece
Alpaca fleece is valuable because it combines so many positive,
commercial attributes into one fiber. There are no negative characteristics to
be found in the Alpaca's fleece. Mother Nature designed the ideal fiber for use
by mankind and then placed it on the gentle Alpaca.
- Alpaca is found naturally in 22 distinct colors. The fiber can also be blended to produce an infinite array of natural colors.
- The fiber from Alpaca is unusually strong and resilient. The strength of the fiber does not diminish as it becomes finer, thus making it ideal for industrial processing.
- Raised at high altitudes in freezing cold, the Alpaca has developed more thermal capacity in its fiber than almost any other animal. The fiber contains microscopic air pockets which create lightweight garments with high insulation values.
- Alpaca is soft, supple and smooth to the touch. The cellular structure of the fiber produces a soft handle unmatched by most other specialty fibers.
- Alpacas produce a fine fiber with an absence of guard hair in their prime fleece.
- Alpaca has a natural, rich luster which gives garments made from 100% Alpaca high visual appeal.
- Alpaca is easily dyed any color and always retains its natural luster.
- Alpaca is compatible with either the woolen or worsted manufacturing systems. Fabric made from Alpaca can range from bulky tweeds to fine gabardine.
- People who own Alpaca sweaters will find they practically last for ever. Alpaca does not easily tear, pill, stain or create static. It is easily cleaned.
- Alpaca fleece produces a high yield of clean fiber after processing: 87 to 95 percent for Alpaca versus 43 to 76 percent for sheep's wool.
- Alpaca is easier and less expensive to process than sheep's wool due to its lack of grease or lanolin, and Alpaca does not have to be de-haired like cashmere or camel.
- Alpaca can be scoured or cleaned without using costly chemicals.
The Factors Which Influence the Value of Alpaca Fiber Are Both Physical and Environmental.
Physical Influences
- Fineness: Fiber consumers generally pay more for finer fiber, whether they are handspinners or industrial processors. Fineness is a highly heritable genetic trait, and a rigorous selection process can greatly impact a herd's overall fiber fineness.
- Color: Industrial processors will normally pay a premium for white fibers, since this enables them to use subtle pastel dyes or create any particular color they choose. Handspinners will normally pay more for natural colored fleece which is unusual or true to the color of garment they desire to create.
- Length: Staple length is an important processing consideration and determines which manufacturing process will be used, woolen or worsted.
- Yield: This is very important in two respects: 1) fleece is sold by the pound or ounce (how much fiber an Alpaca yields determines, to a large extent, the fiber's total value), and 2) since the clean fleece weight is the measure of usable fiber, the clean weight of shorn fleece versus its shorn weight is important.
Environmental Influences
- Nutrition impacts the rale of fiber growth, and in some instances it also affects the fineness. It is thought or believed that fleece weight and quality is 50% in the breeding and 50% in the feeding.
- Impurities in the fleece affect its value. Handspinners pay far more for clean fleece. Industrial processors estimate clean fleece yield and the cost of cleaning when they value fleece. Pasture management and pre-shearing grooming are the keys to clean fleece.
Fiber Fineness
Fineness is what specialty fibers are all about. Alpacas produce a fine
fiber with soft handle and less "prickle factor" than most other animals.
"Prickle" creates the itchy sensation one feels in a coarse garment, and is most
often the result of coarse fiber being intermixed with fine fiber.
Cashmere, a fiber universally recognized for its soft handle, has been identified on 68 breeds of goats in 12 different countries. Cashmere is defined, not by the goat of origin, but by its degree of fineness. Cashmere fiber, as defined by The American Cashmere Growers Association, has "a mean diameter of 20 microns or less. The co-efficient of variation around the mean shall not exceed 25% and there cannot be more than 3% of the fibers by weight over 30 microns." As a result of this "textile definition," cashmere is thought of as soft.
The key to soft garments with an absence of prickle is fine fiber uncontaminated by coarse fiber. The Alpaca is ideal for producing such a fiber, since it is essentially a one-coated animal. The cashmere goat, however, has two coats: one a coarse outercoat and the other a fine undercoat. Alpacas have been genetically selected over time for an absence of the coarse guard hair, or outer coat, found in most other animals' fleece.
To avoid prickle, coarse hair of 30 microns or more must be maintained at 5% or less, by weight, in any garment or fabric. Alpaca, properly sorted and graded, easily meets this test. The products which result can be as soft as cashmere but less expensive to produce.
Fiber is tested for fineness pursuant to universally recognized tests. A test is typically administrated by a recognized laboratory with an expertise in testing fiber. The American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) publishes a specification for testing Alpaca fiber. ASTM also publishes an international directory of testing laboratories which lists the existence of over 1,200 labs in the U.S. This information can be obtained by writing:
Frequently Asked Questions about Alpacas
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Q. |
What do you do with an alpaca? |
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A. |
They provide an excellent investment opportunity, and are the source of luxurious fiber. The fleece, comparable to cashmere, is known for its fineness, light weight, and luster. Alpaca textile products are recognized worldwide. Everyone should own a soft, warm alpaca sweater.
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Q. |
What do alpacas do besides grow fiber? |
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A. |
They make excellent companion animals and are also show animals with high aesthetic appeal. They have lovable dispositions. Alpacas are easily trained to lead and are gentle enough to be handled by children. They are always a hit in a parade.
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Q. |
What do alpacas eat? |
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A. |
They are ruminants, which means they chew cud like a cow or deer. They survive well on different kinds of low protein hay or pasture grass, providing it has a balanced mineral content. Because alpacas evolved in harsh conditions, they utilize their food more efficiently than other ruminants. They cost about as much per month to feed as a dog.
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Q. |
Are alpacas smart? |
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A. |
Yes, they are amazingly alert animals who quickly learn to halter and lead. They constantly communicate with each other through body posture, tail and ear movements, and a variety of sounds. The sound heard most often is a soft humming, a mild expression befitting a gentle animal.
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Q. |
Do alpacas spit? |
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A. |
They will spit on one another if sufficiently angered, but they rarely spit on people.
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Q. |
Are alpacas easy to care for? |
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A. |
They are small and easy to maintain, rarely overeat and require no extraordinary care. They should have basic shelter for protection against heat and foul weather. A three-sided lean-to is sufficient. They do not challenge fences. They simply need shearing, worming and vaccinations.
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Q. |
How much acreage does it take to raise alpacas? |
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A. |
They are an ideal small acreage livestock. You can comfortably stock between five and ten animals per acre. This makes the alpaca ideal for people who have only a few acres and who want the pleasure of a small herd and healthy investment return.
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Q. |
How do you transport alpacas? |
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A. |
They are stress resistant, load and travel calmly and can be transported in the family mini van, station wagon, utility vehicle or horse trailer. Some breeders have been known to transport their alpacas in small planes. Once enroute, the alpaca lies down and enjoys the ride.
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Q. |
What do you call an alpaca? |
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A. |
A baby is known as a cria. Weaned crias are known as weanlings or tuis. In Spanish, the adult males are known as Machos and the females are Hembras.
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Q. |
Are alpacas dangerous? |
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A. |
Absolutely not! They are safe and pleasant to be around. They do not bite or butt, and they do not have the teeth, horns, hooves or claws to do serious injury |